Page 33 of Virgil's Demons

He kissed me one last time, rough and possessive. "I'll find you in a bit, I promise."

And then he was gone, disappearing into the darkness of the haunted house, leaving me standing there, breathless, disoriented. I could still feel the ghost of his fingers on my skin, the sharp sting of the cut he'd made on my side. I pressed a hand to it, feeling the slick warmth of blood, and something inside me shifted.

Something dark and otherworldly stirred.

I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself as I wandered further into the recesses of the building. The air here was colder, damper, and the distant sounds of the party faded until all I could hear was the creak of the old wooden floors beneath my boots.

The deeper I went, the darker it became. The flickering lanterns were sparse now, casting eerie shadows that danced along the walls. I found myself in a hallway lined with mirrors, each one warped and cracked, distorting my reflection into something deformed. I stared at myself, the person in the glass looking back at me with wide, hollow eyes. Something was wrong. The face staring back at me wasn't mine—it was twisted, darkened, like a monster was staring out of my skin.

I blinked and the reflection shifted, but the unease continued.

It's just your imagination, I told myself.Just a haunted house…

But the voice suddenly grew rougher, devilish as it whispered in my ear,You can't hide from me forever.

My breath quickened, the walls of the house closing in on me as I kept moving. Each mirror I passed felt like it was watching me, distorting my image further, until I wasn't sure what was real and what was a reflection. My head spun, the lightheadedness creeping back in.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it.

A shadow moved in the mirror, something tall, looming—inhuman.

I froze, my heart lurching in my chest. The shadow was watching me, its eyes glowing red in the dark glass. I turned quickly, but there was nothing behind me, only the empty hallway stretching into more darkness. But when I looked back into the mirror, it was there again, closer this time.

"No," I whispered, my voice shaking. "It's not real…"

But it is, the monster hissed, the words slithering into my mind causing me to shake in fright.I am very real, and I am coming for you.

I stumbled back, my hand reaching for the wall as panic flared in my chest. The mirrors seemed to pulse with an eerie light, and the reflection of the demon grew larger, more defined. It was coming out of the glass, moving toward me, its jagged, claw-like fingers reaching out.

I turned and ran.

The hallway twisted, narrowing as I fled deeper into the building. The sound of my boots echoed against the wooden floor, but behind me, I could hear something else—heavy footsteps, a low growl that vibrated through the air. The monsterwas chasing me, its presence suffocating, darkening the already dim lights.

I rounded a corner, my vision blurring, the lightheadedness intensifying. My breath came in ragged gasps, my chest tight with panic. Every door I passed was locked, the windows boarded up. I couldn't get out. I was trapped.

"Virgil!" I called out, my voice barely more than a choked whisper, but there was no answer.

The shadows seemed to warp around me, twisting into shapes that crawled along the walls, figures with gaping mouths and hollow eyes. They reached for me, their cold fingers grazing my skin as I pushed forward, trying to find an exit.

I slammed into a dead end, a mirror at the end of the hallway. I turned around, the sound of growling closer now, the monster's breath hot on my neck.

It's a dream I fell asleep, it's a dream.

I tightly clenched my eyes, but I could still feel it—its dark energy pressing down on me, suffocating me.

Opening my eyes, I looked into the mirror, and there it was—towering over me, its eyes glowing red, its mouth twisted into a cruel grin. It had me cornered, nowhere left to run.

I screamed, the sound tearing from my throat as the monster lunged at me, its claws sinking into my skin, dragging me into the darkness.

Then everything went black.

VIRGIL

The heat between us was thick, suffocating in the best way, but just as Barythaya's lips parted to let out a breathless whisper, the distant shout of my name cut through the haze.

"Virgil!"

I tore my gaze away from her, my body still thrumming with the raw electricity of our sex. I could hear shouts coming from outside, something about a fire. The scent of smoke hit me next, acrid and sharp, cutting through the cool night air. I clenched my jaw, feeling the weight of reality crashing back in.

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